I'm a dedicated advocate for the entrepreneur, and my mission is to write about growing a valuable business while keeping an eye on the exit. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with several hundred business owners in my capacities as a Certified Public Accountant and as a Certified Financial Planner®, advising them on matters related to taxes, accounting, finance, financial planning, and growth and exit strategies. Personally I have started, acquired, and sold several businesses. And like most entrepreneurs, I have made good decisions as well as some mistakes along the way. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned in my Forbes.com blog and on my website ExitPromise.com. In my private practice, Enterprise Transitions, my calendar is full working side by side with business owners, helping them grow their businesses, solve problems, and plan for their successful exit.

11 Tangible Ways Entrepreneurs Can Help Veterans

There are approximately 22 Million U.S. Military Veterans and another 2.3 Million Active and Reserve Military Personnel to thank this Veterans Day and while this may feel like an overwhelming task, I believe entrepreneurs are positioned uniquely to make a real difference today by going beyond raising the American flag and doing something tangible to help Veterans.

We’ve only have 24 hours, so let’s get busy!

1. Stand up with StarbucksStarbucks Americans start their day with coffee and today is a great day to stop by Starbucks for your morning kickstart. Starbucks has committed to recruiting more than 10,000 veterans and active duty military spouses into its workforce over the next five years. Also they have announced that on this Veterans Day all company-owned stores in the United States will offer Veteran’s and active duty military and their spouses a free tall brewed coffee.

2. Help the Kauffman Foundation Put Entrepreneurial Resources Where They’re Needed The Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship has developed a program to support military veterans who desire to start or grow a business in the United States. The Kauffman Foundation FastTrac affiliates will offer FastTrac NewVenture and FastTrac GrowthVenture programs for veterans at special discounted rates.

Support the returning military serviceman or woman you know by offering to sponsor them in this program.

3. Support a Disabled Veteran with a Donation Make a financial gift to support a disabled veteran through Adaptive Adventures, a 501(c)3 charity. It takes two minutes to do so. This organization is working to combat self-esteem issues facing our disabled veterans.

This non-profit provides progressive outdoor sports opportunities for military veterans with disabilities with the goal of returning the veteran to his or her level of fitness they enjoyed prior to being injured.

4. Enroll an Aspiring Entrepreneur Military Veteran in an Entrepreneurship Boot Camp No pushups at dawn in this boot camp known as the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans! Veterans with disabilities may be qualified to attend this intensive entrepreneurship training program which started at Syracuse University. Since its inception, six additional schools have joined in training disabled veterans with entrepreneurial aspirations. These schools include: Cornell University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, Florida State University, Louisiana State University, and last but not least, the University of California, Los Angeles.

The boot camp is also a 501 (c)(3) charity, which means your contribution is tax deductible as a charitable donation. The cost of the program is approximately $5,500 per student, however donations in any amount are accepted.

5. Offer a Veteran an Internship at your Business Many veterans returning from active duty military service struggle to fit into society and the workforce. Often the skills and experience on their resume simply don’t match what entrepreneurs post on their job boards. For this reason, many veterans struggle to find employment. And the longer it takes for them to return to the workforce, the more likely they will remain unemployed long term.

Take a chance. Give a veteran a 30 day internship. They may just surprise you and become the long term, valuable employee your business may need.

6. Become Part of the ‘Hire 500,000 Heroes’ Initiative Find Veterans in your area looking for a job by becoming an Employer participating in one of the upcoming Hiring Fairs being held across the United States. So far, this effort has resulted in hiring over 100,000 heroes. The goal is to hire 500,000 veterans and active duty military spouses by the end of 2014.

Starbucks is an example of one such employer committing to hire American military veterans and active duty military spouses. Your company can do the same.

7. Treat an Armed Forces Member to First Class Not too long ago, I was travelling home through the Atlanta airport and couldn’t help noticing the enormous number of active duty servicemen and women present. As I boarded the plane, I stopped dead in my tracks because of what I observed happening in the first class cabin. An elderly gentleman and his wife were in the process of moving from first class seating as two military troops were settling into their upgraded seats. The elderly couple offered their seats to the troops in honor of the son they lost in Vietnam. As they shared their story about their son and graciously offered their seats to the two servicemen, it became obvious this simple act of charity was part of their own healing process. That evening they all received an incredibly moving and well-deserved round of applause.

8. Encourage Women Veterans to Grow their Business Encourage a Woman Veteran to get involved with the Women Veteran Entrepreneur Corps (WVEC). At the WVEC women business owners, who are veterans or spouses/domestic partners of veterans, have the opportunity to undertake a three-year business initiative to grow their business. Women Veterans who operate a business with annual revenues between $50,000 and $750,000, and have been in business for at least one year, may be eligible to enter a Pitch Competition for various awards including an Accelerator program. The top 100 finalists receive media packets to promote their business.

9. Mentor an Entrepreneur Veteran The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has teamed up with SCORE’s network of more than 13,000 volunteer mentors and trainers to offer free of charge help to veterans and their families wanting to start a business. Follow the CPA’s lead by joining this group of volunteers and share with veterans your experiences as a successful entrepreneur.

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